Good for fans of The Lost Apothecary, but I don't think it's for me.It's a bit too modern, and the characters feel forced.

The Phoenix Pencil Company was probably one of my most anticipated litfic reads of the year, mainly because I'm a sucker for unique premises. The blend of World War II-era Chinese history with a modern day romance, computer coding, and a script-based magic is truly original, and this is what kept me returning to the book over and over again, even as other things grabbed at my attention.

One of the strengths here is Allison King's attention to detail and history. I love historical fiction books that teach me something about little known (to me) history, and I think this succeeds so well in that. Novels set in World War II are a dime a dozen. Western bestsellers set in China during that same time? Very, very few. So for this to be a Reese's Book Club pick and for it to have such a wide readership made the historian in me very, very happy. I also loved how much I learned about coding. Honestly, this is one of those books that just kinda made me smarter through osmosis, and I enjoyed that so much.

However, there were several things that disappointed me in this one, and the main one was the dual POV. I find dual first person POV to only be convincing when the voices sound somewhat different; otherwise, why use dual first person when third will do just fine? Obviously, for the premise to work--the "diaries" of a sort, from both grandmother and granddaughter--third person would be ludicrous, but equally absurd is that both people would sound identical. The main difference I could find between them is that Monica's POV lacked capitalization of Grandmother and Grandfather, but that's kinda the only difference? And that Wong Yun's POV sounded more melancholy, for obvious reasons.

Another thing that kept my interest waning is that the pacing felt uneven. I consistently enjoyed Wong Yun's sections more than Monica's, for the main reason that Monica's POV felt repetitive and I just didn't buy her romance. I just think the way that it unfolded felt super convenient and contrived, while the hint of romance in Wong Yun's section felt very well done.

Because of the above critiques, I rated this 3.5 stars when I was reading it, but then I read a bunch of things from established authors that failed even on a line level, and I realized this is a pretty damn good debut. Upon reflection, let's call this a 4-star read.

Many thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Allison King for gifting me this e-ARC! Although this novel often sagged under the weight of everything it tried to accomplish, I do think King is a very skilled writer and I look forward to her next novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced review copy. I ended up borrowing the audiobook from my library. I
m glad I did because this isn't my usual genre and I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much without the audio narration. This was a beautiful story about family connections, losing them and finding them again. I think it was well written and kept me engaged in the story the whole time, even though I'm not usually a huge fan of historical fiction. I definitely have some friends that will like this one.

I knew from the start that this would easily be a five star read. What I did not anticipate was the battle I’d have to fight against tears every other chapter for the first 20% of the book. The Phoenix Pencil Company covers a wide range of history, but is mostly a love letter to those we hold dearest and the desperate attempts we try to make sense of this world & the people in it. I loved this book from start to finish!

I love love love a book with magical realism and the idea of reliving memories through the pencils that once wrote them was a fascinating and totally unique twist on the genre. Loved!

I had three favorite parts to this story.

The first was the magical realism where the secret art of Reforging pencils allowed one family to bring past-written notes and stories back to life. How incredible to see the stories that an old pencil could tell.

The second was the family dynamic that Monica had with her grandparents. A devoting granddaughter who truly cares about her grandparents who helped raise her was such a heartwarming part of the story.

I also enjoyed her grandmother's history that we learned - the time when her grandmother, Yun, was living in Shanghai with her mother, grandmother, aunt, and cousin. I flew through this part of the book wanting to read more and more about this time. It explained the significance of the pencils and Reforging but also showed the dark-side to this power.

However, as the book went on, there were a few pieces that prevented me from giving this title 5 stars.

I didn't quite understand Louise's relationship with Monica. I understood the slow start, where they needed to get to know each other and were still unsure of what they meant to each other.. but Louisa's "betrayal" - as I'll refer to it - was just odd? And the forgiveness felt forced to wrap up the story quickly and nicely.

Yun explained two ways of Reforging to Monica - because she didn't want Monica to Reforge through pain, as the rest of her family had during the wars. But the way Monica went about discovering that was also a bit uncomfortable and unrealistic. I had hoped for more of a passionate love story to come out of this, if this type of Reforging was going to be so key in the story.

I felt that the grandmother's story wrapped up nicely and I was most interested in that so I am glad that I read this book, but in the end, it just wasn't a favorite of mine.

Thanks again to NetGalley and William Morrow Publishers for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

A captivating generational historical novel with a touch of magic. The Phoenix Pencil Company weaves a dual timeline story of a young woman trying to reunite her estranged grandmother with a long-lost cousin in post-WWII Sh Yanghai. While the magic realism aspect may not be for everyone, the engaging narrative and a deeper look into the hardships of the era make it a worthwhile read.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Full confession: It took me a little bit to get into this book. As a mood reader, I knew it was going to be a heavy, but important, read. As I knew, once I started getting into it, I couldn’t put it down. This is a story all about family, both the smooth parts and the jagged parts. This book is told in two parts - the present day via the granddaughter Monica and the past via handwritten letters. Enter the magical pencils and you have a book that was original and a love letter to both family and storytelling. I am really glad I gave this book the chance it deserved and while this might not be for everyone, I thought it was beautiful.

In WWII Shanghai, women of a certain family can absorb messages from the pencils that wrote them. They stab the pencils into their wrists and pour out life energy with the liquified pencil hearts. The Japanese invaders force the women to spy; after the war, so do the Communists and the Nationalists dueling for China’s soul. Yun and her adored cousin Meng lock down for years in the pencil production company, co-writing a fantasy story to stay human.

Yun finds a way out, to California, still indentured. Political complications, cowardice, and shame keep her from helping Meng. The historical background is sketched too lightly. Still, Yun’s section is fascinating.

Yun’s story alternates with a modern-day timeline set in Massachusetts and told by Monica, who leaves MIT to care for her ailing grandparents. Monica wants to know Yun’s truth before Yun loses her memory. But does she have the right?

Parallels link the two plots: Monica loves Louise, their relationship on slow burn. Both women are enthralled by the power of story but learn the hard way that stories can be deformed, stolen and misused, whether by old magic or modern tech. Monica is engaging and self-aware, but her story sometimes feels like a way to evade the searing emotions and self-revelations Yun experienced. Monica strongarms her grandmother into finally telling her story. I know you and I told ourselves different versions of the same truth, Yun tells Meng. But Meng’s story is also missing.

Particularly apt for our moment in history, this is a book that needs to be read and re-read. A book about family love, romantic love, love of country, and all the forms of betrayal that go with them.

I couldn't even finish this book. The present day timeline felt like it was just there to promote LGBTQ. The historical timeline was much more interesting, but that should have been the bulk of this story, I think, and it wasn't.

The grandmother's story throughout the book was what kept me reading, while Monica's story lagged on a bit. It made the story feel like it was longer than it needed to be, and I think that Monica's sudden trusting relationship with her father at the end was out of character for her, given how protective she was of her grandparents and that she had started to learn to stand up for herself when it came to her father.

This was a wonderfully written read that was a bit different than most other books in the genre. I love the characters and not well developed they were. I love the relationship between them and it was funny at times too.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into this book. The premise sounded interesting, but it didn’t grab me. This was a DNF for me.

This book has multiple timelines and character viewpoints. Follows two mother's past and the daughter's search for answers about their mother's lives. Good history of pencils and culture. Recommend. Thank you for the NetGalley ARC.

History, strong female characters, spies, and found family. Although I wasn't sure where this was going at the beginning and I was afraid I'd get lost in the tech speak, this circled around to be a wonderful book about if our life stories should be public or private.

This was fine. I expected more from it given all the acclimations it’s received and being a Reese pick.

THE PHOENIX PENCIL COMPANY by Allison King was a rollicking wonder of a story weaving magical abilities to bring the past to life, family relationships, trust and betrayal, and how the past so thoroughly shapes the present. A disaffected young woman with few connections is overwhelmed by the inevitable loss of her beloved grandparents and in discovering kinship with a long-distant relative and the pencil that enables her to reforge past stories, claiming the past and the present with her newfound magical abilities. I enjoyed the relationships, the pace, the entwined past and present stories, the entire story which kept me up way too late reading. I received a copy of this book and these thoughts are my own, unbiased opinions.

A magical twist on history, espionage, and family bonds. In 1937 Shanghai, a pencil factory hides a secret, it forges enchanted pencils that can draw out memories and turn them into stories, used to pass coded messages during wartime. Decades later, Monica, a college student, uncovers her grandmother’s letters and diaries, revealing a life shaped by war, survival, and love.

With dual timelines, rich Shanghai wartime detail, and a thread of magical realism (hello, Phoenix rebirth), this debut blends history, mystery, and heart. A beautifully written tale about memory, resilience, and the power of connection, wrapped in a gorgeous, eye-catching cover.

I never expected a book about pencils to be so fascinating. ✏️
You might be thinking, "How could pencils possibly be interesting?" I asked the same question—but it turns out they are, especially when they’re magical. 🪄

The Phoenix Pencil Company is a dual timeline novel. One narrative is set during the Japanese occupation of China in the years surrounding World War II, and the other follows a young woman in present-day Boston caring for her ailing grandparents. During the war, the family-owned Phoenix Pencil Co. secretly produced enchanted pencils used to transmit messages—an imaginative twist I won’t spoil the mechanics of.

The historical storyline was the standout. It’s rare to see this period in China spotlighted in fiction, since all eyes were on Europe, and I found the focus on women operating a smaller-scale "Alice Network" spying system to be both unique and compelling. The toll it took and the relationships between the women made for a really interesting family drama. I was fully immersed and honestly wished this timeline had made up the entire book.

The modern-day storyline, unfortunately, didn’t hold the same weight for me. A computer platform subplot and a hard-to-root-for romance felt like distractions rather than complements, and my interest waned about halfway through. It’s a shame, because the historical sections were strong enough to carry a five-star novel on their own. Still, if you’re looking for a fresh take on WWII fiction with a touch of magic and nice writing on the importance of our stories, you could enjoy this one.
★★★.5

Phoenix Pencil Company is a reflective, intergenerational novel that examines how the decisions of the past echo into the present. Told through alternating perspectives—Monica in the present day and her grandmother Wong Yun in the past—the story explores themes of memory, identity, and the power of storytelling.
The narrative delves into complex topics including dementia, war, immigration, grief, and the evolving role of technology. At its core, the novel asks compelling questions about who owns a story, what gets passed down, and what remains hidden.
While the pacing is slow at the start, the emotional depth and layered storytelling make it a rewarding read. Readers who enjoy character-driven fiction with historical and contemporary threads will find much to appreciate here. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.